Leaking Oil from Upper Helm

[Raylap819]

1988 Carver 3807, Dual Helms, Equipped with Raymarine Avionix connected to Garmin Auto Pilot.

Oil is leaking from the fly bridge. steering wheel. The oil leaks on the surface of the dashboard and appears to come from the shaft on which the steering is attached. Happens mostly after the boat has been navigating. No leaks under the steering mechanism and hydraulic lines. The Auto Pilot doesn’t engage. This is a new boat to me, purchased during winter months so no trials were done prior the purchase. Has anyone experienced this. Any help would be appreciated.

[Cooler]

Do you have Hynautic Hydraulic steering? There seems to be a seal in the helm compromised. Make sure you are adding hydraulic fluid because eventually the entire helm will fail. Make sure you are using hydraulic helm fluid when adding, not ATF or power steering fluid. The leaking helm can be rebuilt. er

[Viper]

I agree.

You have a shaft seal leak. Pretty sure they are Seastar 1.7 helms on my '89 3807 so you probably have the same units. Get the make and model to be sure and you should be able to get a seal kit for it. They're not that difficult to do but is a learning curve if you've never done one. There are videos on YouTube. If the fluid level has dropped too far, it could be the reason why your autopilot isn't working. Either that or you have a separate issue with pilot wiring, communication, or faulty hardware. Also, open up the pilot computer and check if the fuse is blown. What pilot system do you have? Can you steer the boat with the wheel right now?

[Raylap819]

Yes, I can steer the boat, just messy. This morning I noticed that the motor powering the hydraulic pump is disconnected. Checked the fuse and it’s good.I’ll reconnect the motor tomorrow - didn’t have small screw driver required to connect the motor. I keep topping up the hydraulics with automatic transmission oil recommended by the Marina where the boat is docked. I have a Garmin auto pilot connected to a Raymarine Axiom. Thanks and appreciated. Ray

[Cooler]

Totally up to you, but I do not agree with your marina recommendation. The ATF has detergents in it that will compromise seals when the fluid is sitting still. Maybe Viper will chime in. When you do repair your leak, try to flush the old stuff out and refill with Hydraulic HELM Fluid, or you may be doing the same repair in a season or 2. Good Luck. er

[Viper]

I've probably seen literally thousands of systems using ATF with no ill effects, and I've never had to reseal one proven to be because of ATF, it's more often than not a contamination issue that causes seal failure and other hydraulic issues. Of course Seastar prefers that you use their oil but they also state that you can use ATF if that's all you have. They also specifically tell you on their container not to use brake fluid but make no such mention about ATF too. I'd be more afraid of switching oils quite frankly. If the application has had ATF since factory for 30 plus years, that's what I would stick with. Even if you reseal the helm for example, don't forget that the steering cylinder, pilot pump, etc., have been accustomed to ATF too. Having said that, I haven't actually looked into the formulation of the two oils. Truth be told, they're probably pretty similar where it counts except for the dye.

[Raylap819]

Thank you all for your quick replies, very helpful. I’ve ordered the seal that fits on the steering shaft and viewed the YouTube videos. The part should be in within the next 5 days so hopefully this will solve the leak. Really appreciated!!

[bud37]

In regards to the hydraulic fluid in any hydraulic system.....try to stick with the same type ( spec ) fluid that was originally spec'd for the system and in the system.
It may say you can use atf in an emergency in the manual, on the other hand it may have originally come with atf installed, they have tolerances and seal specs, that is why different fluids although there seems to me to be no reason for sea star fluid to be soooo expensive......

[Cooler]

Sea Star is expensive because they require their fluid for their warranty. Quicksilver actually has a Hydraulic Helm Fluid for almost half the price of Sea Star. er

[Viper]

Coincidently, today I ran into a leaking steering cylinder with a seal who's condition I could only conclude was due to something in the fluid. The seal was mush. It's the first time I've ever run into a seal in that condition. The system was running on ATF, was that the reason for the seal failure? hard to say. After this discovery and remembering this thread, I got on the phone with several colleagues. Some were addiment that ATF didn't affect anything in the experience, while others stood by the usual/safe go to of sticking with "the manufacturer's recommendations." Considering most systems I've seen are running with ATF, and some of those for decades, it's a pretty good track record in my opinion. Seals fail in all applications with or without the recommended fluids, that's hydraulics! Don't know that there's necessarily a conclusion here but thought I would put it out there for consideration.